


Making that dream come true

by ToxicPineapple



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Conversations, Developing Relationship, Friends to... Better Friends, Gay Amami Rantaro, Gen, Jester Oma Kokichi, Knight Chabashira Tenko, Main focus here is Kaede and Rantaro, POV First Person, Platonic Relationships, Prince Amami Rantaro, Princess Akamatsu Kaede, Royal Advisor Maizono Sayaka, That's right babey a royalty AU, background romantic relationships, friendships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:08:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26101675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicPineapple/pseuds/ToxicPineapple
Summary: Screw it, I’m going for it. I lift my skirts, which are long and heavy and hot in the afternoon sun, and make my way carefully over to the Prince, feeling my legs wobble a bit. I can walk just fine in heels. It’s more nerves that are making my knees shake right now. I wish those would wear off. If I stutter in my introduction with Prince Rantaro, I’ll never be able to look him in the eyes again.I manage to discreetly wipe the sweat on my palms off on my skirt before I let it drop.“Uhm,” I start, which isn’t very ladylike of me at all. Rantaro smiles at me. “Hi.”“Hey,” Prince Rantaro returns, and my god, his voice is low.---Princess Kaede meets, and subsequently gets to know the boy she'll be marrying in six months time.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede & Amami Rantaro, Akamatsu Kaede/Chabashira Tenko (implied), Amami Rantaro/Oma Kokichi
Comments: 18
Kudos: 47





	Making that dream come true

**Author's Note:**

> this is the prequel to a multi-chapter that i'd like to write! if you'd like to see more of this au, let me know? :)

My palms are sweating. It’s a little bit unladylike, but what would be more unladylike would be if I wiped them off on my skirt, so instead I lean over to Sayaka and nudge her arm with my elbow, asking her if she has any spare gloves.

Her eyes dart between my pale lavender dress and my eyes, eyebrows raising mildly. “I do,” she says, eventually, a smile appearing on her face, “but I don’t think they’d match your dress all that well, which would be a shame, because it’s so pretty on you.” She giggles slightly, and I giggle too, though admittedly my own laugh is a bit more anxious than hers. Sayaka seems to notice this, because she gives me a reassuring smile and reaches over to squeeze my shoulder. “Why do you need gloves, Kaede? Are you nervous?”

I look away. “Maybe a little,” I admit, finding one of the satin ribbons that decorate my skirt and fidgeting with it. “I haven’t heard much about Prince Rantaro, y’know? What if he’s…”

“A creep?” Sayaka suggests. Her eyes crinkle at the edges, and the reassurance in her eyes is strong even before she speaks again. I nod feebly. “If the Prince is a creep, then you can just tell the King, and he’ll reach out to King Ichirou and ask that you be betrothed to one of Prince Rantaro’s sisters instead! He has many, y’know?”

“Can there really be two queens?” I frown, rubbing the back of my neck. Admittedly, marrying a beautiful princess is appealing, but I’m just not sure about how that’d work out… politically. “I mean, I know Makoto made it work out with his husband, but things are a little bit different over there, aren’t they?”

“Oh, I’m sure it wouldn’t pose all that much of a problem,” Sayaka shrugs, “even though you’re both women, you’d still have the higher authority in the name of the law, since you’re the heir to the throne, y’know?” She pats my arm and then removes her hand, smoothing out a few creases on her own pale blue skirt. Sometimes I feel like Sayaka would make a much better princess than I do. She’s so composed, so polite, so good at speaking her mind in that indirect way Mom keeps trying to teach me how to do. It’s like nothing fazes her, really, and that can be intimidating sometimes (she’s my advisor, after all, so she’s seen me through some stuff that maybe  _ should’ve  _ fazed her) but it would work out great for her as Queen.

She’s so pretty, too, and mysterious and intuitive, and her smiles are equal parts kind and superior. I know it’s going to be my kingdom someday, (someday soon, what with all this engagement business,) but sometimes it feels like… well, maybe Sayaka would do better taking the reigns, is all.

“Regardless, I don’t think you have to worry,” Sayaka continues, waving the hand that she rested on my shoulder a moment ago. “I’ve heard rumours about Prince Rantaro, you know, and they say he’s a bit of a womaniser, but aside from that, I hear he’s very sweet.”

Well, I don’t know that I’ll be too thrilled to be engaged to a womaniser, but I guess I’ll take what I can get. It’s not like I’m getting too much of a say in all of this.

“If those turn out to be just rumours, you’ll have some time to figure that out, won’t you? You won’t be getting married for another six months.” Sayaka has a good point. Our kingdom isn’t as old-fashioned as some of the neighbouring ones-- something to do with our being run by women, haha; our traditions and standards don’t disadvantage the women as much- and even though we still do do arranged marriages, both for political reasons (like this marriage between me and Prince Rantaro) and in the name of keeping bloodlines pure, what _ ever  _ that means, we give a six-month period for the betrothed parties to get to know each other. It’s not perfect, of course. People don’t usually call off engagements unless something is seriously wrong.

But at least we do it. King Ichirou was almost offended by the insinuation that his son might try something sketchy, but Mom insisted. I’m glad she insisted. If the first day I met my future husband was our wedding day, I don’t know how I’d handle it.

Sayaka is probably waiting for me to respond.

“You’re right,” I say, with a sigh. Our carriage does a turn, and I lean into it, closing my eyes and taking another breath. “I’m sure he’ll be a good person! And if something goes wrong, then I’ll definitely tell my parents!” I pump my fists, mostly just to encourage myself. The carriage slowly comes to a stop, and I listen to the driver chattering softly with his horses through the closed door. I’d just step out now that we’re not moving, but as a princess I’m supposed to wait for the door to be opened and held for me, so… I wait. Better not to mess around like that when Sayaka is sitting right next to me. “It’ll work out either way!”

“It will,” Sayaka smiles. “And I’ll be supporting you the whole time! If Prince Rantaro tries anything, alliance or no alliance, he’ll end up betrothed to the heel of my shoe instead.” She giggles. “Kidding. But really, I’ve got your back, okay?”

“Thanks, Sayaka,” I say, as the door to the carriage is opened. I look at her, feeling my chest warm, smiling slightly. “I really appreciate you, y’know?”

“Of course,” Sayaka nods her head, and gestures for me to get out, so I do, accepting a hand out as I step onto the brick road. We’re on the outskirts of the kingdom to pick up Prince Rantaro, which is a bit out of my way, generally speaking, but it will have been a further journey for him to travel. The Amami Kingdom is pretty far off from ours. Really, I could have just waited at the castle, but I’m not so big on apprehension, or on waiting for things. I’d rather just get them over with quickly. And that includes meeting this prince I’m to marry in six months.

I extract my sweaty hand from the gloved one of the driver, giving him a little smile and a curtsy (and it’s a miracle that my knees don’t buckle when I do) before I step to the side to wait for Sayaka to join me. Her curtsy is much more refined than mine is, as is to be expected of my advisor, since she’s the one who taught me how in the first place, and then she loops her arm through mine, gesturing over off the road, towards the grove of trees where we’re to meet Prince Rantaro and his own people.

As Sayaka and I make our way over, we’re joined by Chabashira Tenko, my personal guard (who bows respectfully, if a little clumsily, and shoots me an adorable lopsided smile), as well as Ogami Sakura, another guard who I don’t know as well as I know Tenko. Ogami gives me a much less clumsy bow, and takes her place behind me and Sayaka, prompting Tenko to fall into step beside her. Sayaka steps like she knows exactly where we’re going, a pleasant smile on her face, and leads us over to a circle of benches in the middle of a bunch of blossoming cherry blossom trees. There’s a small fountain in the middle of the benches with golden coins shimmering at the bottom of it.

I sort of wish I had a coin of my own to throw in.

After a moment of standing here, watching the fountain gurgle, I hear the murmur of voices off to my left, and turn my head, letting Sayaka’s arm slip out from mine. Through the trees, some ten or eleven yards off, I see approaching an group of three people, and from the curly green hair of the boy in the middle, I can only assume it’s Prince Rantaro and his group.

Of course, I’ve never seen Prince Rantaro in person before. I’ve only briefly met his father, the King, at the ball where they formed the engagement. They definitely share a likeness, but there’s something about Rantaro, with his soft eyes and long, thick eyelashes, that comes across as kinder, more friendly. He’s seventeen, so I’ve been told, and only a year older than I am, and it shows in his features, which are rounder than his father’s, young, glowing. There is a spattering of freckles across his cheeks and nose, and his pale green eyes shine a bit in the sun, especially when they catch on my own.

He’s dressed nicely, in a pale green (the colour of foliage) tailcoat over a darker green vest and white blouse, as well as similarly pale green pants tucked into brown, shiny boots. When he comes closer, slowing as he and his two companions near the benches, I see that he’s got an assortment of rings on one of his hands, and a clear crystal hanging from a cord around his neck. His expression is kind, I think, friendly and open, and when I look back up from his necklace to meet his eyes, he smiles at me.

I smile too, feeling my nerves settle a bit.

Sayaka advances, since, as my advisor, the diplomatic part of this interaction will be handled by her. Similarly, one of Prince Rantaro’s companions, another woman with blue hair, which she has tied into an intricate braid and looped around her head, moves forward as well, lifting her navy blue skirt as she curtsies. She’s quite pretty, with round spectacles resting on her nose and long, dark eyelashes tangling every time she blinks. Actually, she’s almost prettier than Rantaro, even. There’s something captivating about the intensity of those teal eyes of hers, and the way that she moves, and the way that she smiles.

If Sayaka is fazed by this, she doesn’t show it. She mimics the action, and then strikes up a conversation with the woman, who I presume to be Prince Rantaro’s advisor. I know all of what Sayaka is saying to her-- pleasantries, mostly, and then they’ll be discussing transportation arrangements-- so I tune out of their conversation, instead looking over to take in the sight of Rantaro’s final companion.

He’s awfully  _ large,  _ that’s what I notice first, and then I feel sort of bad for thinking it, because he has a sweet, anxious little smile on his face that makes me think he’s here to be helpful. It sort of reminds me of one of Tenko’s smiles, actually, just in terms of earnestness, but I keep the thought to myself; Tenko totally wouldn’t appreciate being compared to a man.

The man is clearly Prince Rantaro’s own personal knight, based on the sword in a hilt on his hip and the silver armour he wears that shines in the sun. His hair is a dark, forest-y green, long and unruly but tied back into a ponytail that cascades over his back. His eyes, which I see through a similarly round pair of glasses, are a deep, vibrant red, and crinkled with smile lines. There’s a helmet tucked under his arm, and when he notices me looking at him, he smiles in a more open way, sweet and sincere, and if nothing else, I think that Prince Rantaro’s guard is somebody that I’m going to like.

...Speaking of Prince Rantaro, I look at him again, watch as his gaze leaves a spot behind me (he was probably doing as I was, and taking stock of our company) and meets mine once more. I wonder if I’m allowed to speak with him. It isn’t as though Sayaka set down any guidelines about introducing myself to the Prince before being given permission to.

…

Screw it, I’m going for it. I lift my skirts, which are long and heavy and hot in the afternoon sun, and make my way carefully over to the Prince, feeling my legs wobble a bit. I can walk just fine in heels. It’s more nerves that are making my knees shake right now. I wish those would wear off. If I stutter in my introduction with Prince Rantaro, I’ll never be able to look him in the eyes again.

I manage to discreetly wipe the sweat on my palms off on my skirt before I let it drop.

“Uhm,” I start, which isn’t very ladylike of me at all. Rantaro smiles at me. “Hi.”

“Hey,” Prince Rantaro returns, and my god, his voice is low. It’s smooth, too. I can see why people call this guy a womaniser. His eyes are sparkling and it’s… totally attractive. “Nice to finally meet you, Princess,” he says, putting out a hand, and it takes me a moment to realise he’s going to kiss it. Obligingly, I pass my hand over and watch him lean down to press a chaste kiss to the back of my hand. His lips are cool. The action doesn’t really embarrass me so much, though. It’s a pretty typical pleasantry. I’ve had girls more attractive than Prince Rantaro kiss my hand before without swooning.

“You don’t have to call me Princess,” I tell him, when he straightens back up again, and giggle slightly when his eyebrows raise. “It’s just… it’s a little formal, isn’t it?”

“I’m all about formality,” Rantaro says, squeezing my hand before he releases it. He winks, though, which makes me think that that’s… probably a joke. “But sure, I could call you Kaede. Long as you call me Rantaro, in return. Think it’d be a little awkward if I called you by your given name and you hit me with the title.”

“Only if I was angry,” I promise, and Rantaro lets out a laugh, sounding a bit surprised. Oops. “Uhm, I mean,” I straighten out my skirt, somewhat anxiously. “I didn’t mean that, I wouldn’t--”

“It’s fine, Kaede, that was funny,” Rantaro grins, shaking his head. “Duly noted. If Kaede starts calling me  _ Prince,  _ I’ve done something seriously wrong.” He clears his throat, nodding his head at the large man standing behind him. “This is Gonta, my personal guard. I see you’ve got two here with you right now. I’m almost feeling outdone.”

“Oh! Well,” I clasp and unclasp my hands. The amount of fidgeting you can do as a respectable princess is kind of limited, actually. “Actually, I only have one personal guard, her name is Tenko, she’s the one with the dark hair and the green ribbon,” I point behind myself, hoping Tenko will wave. “You should probably call her Chabashira, though, she’s… not too friendly with boys.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Rantaro says, with an easy smile. “And Chabashira’s friend?”

“Ogami Sakura,” I reply, “the head knight.” I clear my throat. “Uhm, I don’t know her as well as Tenko. Everyone in the castle either calls her  _ Ma’am  _ or  _ Ogami.” _

...Sometimes people call her  _ Sir,  _ but I don’t think she likes that very much.

“My mother insisted that she come along, but I don’t know that it was all that necessary,” I glance at Gonta, lifting a hand to wave. He waves back at me, beaming. Aw. “I mean, you only brought one guard.”

“In my defense, I didn’t realise that two was the protocol, here,” Rantaro sniffs, then relaxes his expression, adding, “and Gonta is a bit of a powerhouse. You’d be hard pressed to find people he couldn’t protect me from. Though, uh, Ogami over there might have him beat,” Rantaro eyes Ogami warily. “I dunno. We’d have to see them in combat.”

“Gonta wouldn’t!” Gonta insists, immediately. His voice is about the same pitch as Rantaro’s, but it almost sounds younger, more innocent. Sweeter. “Gonta would never lift a hand against a lady! Even if she is a knight!”

I look back at that one. Ogami hasn’t said anything, but she seems pleased to be referred to in that manner.

“I know you wouldn’t, buddy,” Rantaro says, looking at Gonta fondly. They interact like they’ve known each other for a long time. It sort of makes me feel more comfortable. “I’m just messing around.” He lifts a hand to his mouth, clearing his throat into a closed fist. “The woman over there, my other companion, her name’s Shirogane Tsumugi. She’s my advisor.”

“I thought so,” I admit, looking over. Shirogane seems to be laughing slightly at something Sayaka just said. I hope they’ll get along. “My advisor is Maizono Sayaka. She’s, uhm, the one talking to yours.”

“Right,” Rantaro smiles. “It really is good to meet you, Kaede. I think we’ll get along.”

...Y’know, I think so too. Rantaro seems like a really sweet guy. He puts me at ease.

Though as pretty as he is, I can’t help noticing that I really don’t have a whole lot of butterflies going off in my stomach anymore. Not even the romantic kind.

Mmmm.

\---

During the couple of days that Rantaro and his two companions spend getting themselves situated at the castle, I spend time in one of the many vacated rooms throughout the vast building. Despite living here all my life, I don’t know this place up and down, left and right, not the way that Makoto did, back before he went off to marry King Togami. He might have made a better king than I’m going to make a queen, really. He knew not just the castle, but the entire kingdom like the back of his hand. He was always sneaking out in disguise to talk to the peasants down in the village, getting to know everyone who I’m going to be ruling over after I’m married. I wish I had the guts to do that, to go out and see my subjects. Normally I spend my downtime just playing the piano or wandering the halls here.

It’s not that I don’t want to see them, and talk to them, and learn about all their hopes and dreams, it’s more… I’ve never gotten the chance to. Honestly, if I wasn’t a princess, I think I’d be a bit of a shut-in, haha. Even with all the royal functions that I attend, I’m still not the most outgoing. I think I’m pretty good in conversation, and Sayaka has told me that I’m charming, and that I have a contagious energy, whatever that means, but without guidance, sometimes I find myself… drifting.

Maybe it’s just that I’m the younger sibling. To Makoto, no doubt. He hasn’t lived in the castle in almost two years now, and even after all this time, it still feels like I’m sort of living in his shadow.

This room that I’ve taken refuge in, it’s being used as a library. The walls are lined with floor to ceiling shelves that are full of all sorts of books. Storybooks, mostly, with old, flowery language and dusty pages so ancient I feel as though they’ll crumple into dust in my fingers. The book that I chose, with a deep blue cover and golden embellishment on the spine, hasn’t yet, but I hold my breath every time I turn the pages.

I like these stories. A lot of them talk about princesses, just like me, but the princesses within their pages are a whole lot braver than I am, and the friends they make in these stories aren’t just the ones given to them. Not that there’s anything wrong with my friends here; I’m far from lonely, and I love them all to death. Tenko and Sayaka especially, they’re two of my favourite people on earth, and I wouldn’t trade them for anyone. It’s just that… well, the stories that I read, they talk about princesses who see past their front door, and past the sheet music resting on the front of their pianos. They meet villagers and pirates and thieves, people who are brave and reckless and wild, and either the princesses are the same from the start, or they become that way.

There’s this one story, about a princess who is kidnapped for ransom so a handsome black-haired thief can get medicine for his dying mother, and I get that it’s kind of like, stockholm syndrome, but also… there’s a certain kind of romance about it, the idea of falling in love under those circumstances, of finding somebody who makes you a better person. I’d like to find that, someday, with someone who I actually have to look to find, even if maybe I’d like to pass on the getting kidnapped bit.

That’s not the book I’m reading now, though. Honestly, this book is kind of boring, but I’m keeping up with it, because I don’t have a lot else to do. I’m about a third of the way through the story before I hear the door opening and look up, half expecting it to be one of the maids, or else Sayaka, here to call me to a meal, or to another one of my duties. I don’t think I have anything that I need to do today, but I could be wrong. I’m always ready to be wrong, really, that’s part of being a good ruler. At least, that’s how Sayaka explained it to me. I think she’s right, though. You can’t help anybody to grow without being willing to grow a little yourself.

Turns out I’m wrong on both counts, though, because it’s Rantaro who sticks his head in through the door, and then smiles when we make eye contact. He’s dressed far less nicely than he was when we first met, in a simple white blouse with the top few buttons undone and grey cuffed pants with plain brown shoes. He still has that necklace, though, and all the rings that he was wearing the day we met.

Not like I can talk about being dressed formally, of course. Since I’m not supposed to be anywhere today until dinner, I forfeited all the layers and dressed myself in a plain yellow dress with a pale purple ribbon around the waist. I should feel awkward, I guess, about being around someone who I haven’t known all my life in such a simple attire, but given that he’s going to be my husband in six months, it’s probably only weird if I make it weird. Besides,  _ he’s  _ dressed down too, so. Whatever.

“Hi,” I say, which is what I said last time, but in my defense, it’s a greeting.

“Hey,” Rantaro replies, also what he said last time, letting the door fall shut behind himself. “I was looking for you.”

“Oh, why? Did you need something?” I start to sit up, reaching for my bookmark, because I’m intent upon finishing this book, even if it’s dull. “If you’re looking to be shone somewhere, I  _ think  _ I can help you-- at the very least I can try and find someone who can--” Ouma Kokichi comes to mind, the Court Jester; he knows this place better than even Makoto did, I think, but also, I can never find Kokichi when I need him for jokes, so who’s to say I’d be able to find him now?

“No, no, I didn’t need anything,” Rantaro dismisses, waving a hand. “You can relax, Kaede.”

I do. Hesitantly.

“I was just thinking we should spend some time together,” Rantaro continues, walking over. I get the picture, so I scoot back on the bench where I’m leaned up against the window, kicking over a couple pillows with my socked feet for him to lean against. Rantaro seats himself a comfortable, non-invasive distance away from me, and gives me a smile, too, as he leans against the window. “We’ll be seeing a lot of each other coming up here, so.”

Yeah, for the next six months, and then for the rest of our lives. “That makes sense,” I say, because it does, and then I smile, too, because it’s sweet of Rantaro to come find me. “Are you adjusting here okay? Do you need anything? I can totally ask my mom or something if you need help.”

“I’m doing just fine,” Rantaro replies, chuckling. “You’re sweet, though. I’ve heard a lot about you being a sweet person, actually, but it’s something else seeing that in person.”

Well. Now my face is heating up. “Me too,” I tell him, which isn’t technically true since it was Sayaka who heard all of that, but I don’t think a little white lie ever heard anyone. I turn my head away to look at the rose bushes right outside the window, then mark my page and put my book to the side, since it would probably be more polite to just talk to Rantaro right now, rather than reading it right in front of him. “I’ve also heard you’re a bit of a womaniser.”

Rantaro seems amused by this, for some reason. He laughs slightly. “I swear I’m not that kind of guy,” he says, raising his eyebrows. “I probably borrowed the reputation from my father, though. He’s, uh, kind of notorious for sleeping around.” Rantaro’s expression closes off a little. “I’m sure you’ve heard all that, though.”

Crap. Strike what I said about a little white lie never hurting anyone. I smile, a little bit sheepishly, peeking back over at Rantaro. “Uh… not really,” I admit, ducking my head. “I  _ did  _ hear that you’re sweet and a bit of a womaniser, but I heard that stuff from Sayaka, since she listens in on all the gossip. Uhm,” I feel my cheeks heating further than they have thus far, purely from embarrassment. “I don’t really get out all that much.”

“I’ve heard that too,” Rantaro teases, and I huff, reaching over to swat at his arm. “Kidding, kidding, please don’t address me by my title, I don’t think I could take that,” he says, laughing, and I crack a smile despite myself. Jerk. “But, uh, don’t take this the wrong way, but it makes me kind of happy that you haven’t actually heard all that stuff. Not that I’m not gonna tell you all the rumours and stuff about my father,” mmm, I wonder if Rantaro is close to his father; he sort of says the word with distaste, “but it’s nice to meet someone who hasn’t heard all of it.”

“I’m glad  _ someone  _ is pleased by it,” I sniff, as if my parents have ever given me an ounce of criticism in my life. The only person who really criticises me is Sayaka, and even then, she always does it with a thick coat of icing and a cherry on top. She’s a good advisor, she really is, but sometimes I almost wish that she’d be just a little bit harder on me. I’m not gonna learn a thing if she’s not. “Also, you don’t have to talk about that stuff with your father if you don’t want to,” I tilt my head to the side slightly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m not going to judge you for things your dad did. You’re your own person.”

“If anything, that’s all the more reason to tell you,” Rantaro says, his lip curling. “But that’s… sweet, Kaede. I really appreciate it.” He sounds sincere. “What’s that you’re reading?”

I may not get out a lot, but I know well how to identify a topic changer, and well enough to accept one, too. “It’s a storybook,” I say, looking down at the book. “It’s pretty boring, though.”

“Yeah?” Rantaro quirks his eyebrows slightly. “Why don’t you read something more interesting?”

“Well, I’d like to have gotten through it,” I frown a little bit, looking down at the book. The bane of my existence, that thing is. “But I’m not going to read while you’re here, that would be rude.”   
  
Rantaro tilts his head at me. “Why would it be rude? I’m the one intruding on your alone-time. I think you should be allowed to read if you want to.”

  
“I don’t want you to have to sit in silence!” I huff, leaning back against the shelf behind me. “If we’re spending time together, then I want you to be engaged by something that I’m also engaged in!”

“There’s a value to being able to sit in comfortable silence with another person,” Rantaro points out, grinning. “Maybe I  _ want  _ to sit here and watch your face while you read. Has anyone told you that you’re beautiful before, Kaede?”

“Plenty of times,” I scoff. Your flattery won’t win you this argument, Rantaro, I am  _ invincible  _ when I’m trying to make a point. “And yeah, that’s important, but this is only our second time meeting! I’m not just gonna sit here and read while you space off and count tiles on the ceiling or something, that would be-- oh!”

“Oh?” Rantaro repeats.

“Oh,” I nod, pushing myself up and tucking the book under my arm. I slip it back onto the shelf where I found it before and select another storybook, a red one this time with similar silver decoration, then slip back over to the bench and plop myself down in the pillows. I’ve read this book so many times I could recite entire passages from memory, but I won’t. Not just yet, anyway. “I had an idea!”

The smile on Rantaro’s face widens, and crinkles his eyes. It’s a very attractive expression. “Are you gonna tell me what it was, or are you gonna keep me guessing?”

“With that attitude?” I huff. I smile, though, a moment later. “Kidding. This is my favourite book,” the very same one about stockholm syndrome, “and I know for a fact it’s not boring like that other one, so I’m gonna read it out loud to you! That way we both win. You’re engaged and I’m reading.”

“I see,” Rantaro relaxes back against the window, his smile softening. “I think that’s a good plan.”   
  


“I know it is!” I say brightly. That gets a laugh out of Rantaro, and I let it slide, even though I was being serious. “It’s kind of a long book, but we have a while until dinner, so it should be fine!” Probably. I’ve never actually read a book aloud to someone else before. It probably takes a bit longer. But I’m going to do my best. “Get comfortable, okay?”

“I’m perfectly comfortable,” Rantaro says, giving me a look that I can’t quite read. It’s warm, though, a soft look. “More comfortable than I’ve been in a while, actually.”

I don’t know what to make of that, but it makes me smile anyway. “Good!” I nod my head, decisively, then open the book to the first page and start to read.

\---

I spend Tuesdays and Thursdays in the room down the hall from my sleeping chamber practicing piano. Usually I’m not so strict about my schedule-- I don’t mind deviations from the norm, really, in fact they’re pretty fun-- but when it comes to playing the piano, I’m not about to let anything take that time away from me. There are so few things about being a princess that I really take to or do well at-- at least, not at the level that my family expects of me, some days-- but playing the piano is something I do well. Really well. And not just that, it’s something that I love.

Like, if I had to list the things I love in the world… well, obviously my friends and family would be at the top of the list. But piano would be really high up, okay? It’s one of my favourites!   
  


Anyway, it’s Thursday today, so after eating a light breakfast in my room, I head directly to my study and close the door. People know not to enter unless it’s an emergency, because when I’m in the zone, I really don’t hear them knocking. Not that anything super bad will ever happen if they surprise me in the middle of my piano playing, but I might be a little grumpy about it, y’know? That’s my me-time! Whatever it is better be super important!   
  


I play through the morning, break for sandwiches at lunch, and then get right back into it, losing myself to the way they keys feel, cool and smooth underneath my fingertips, and to the music, flowing through me, filling my ears, my chest, my soul. When I’m playing the piano, it’s like nothing else matters, really, it’s like I don’t even exist. I can just stop being real for a while, forget everything, become one with the wind, the universe, the trees around me and the stars shining bright above my head. The music is a part of me as I am a part of it. Ever chord, every intricate little harmony and every piece of the main melody, I can feel it within me, spinning and forming, and it’s… peace, really, it’s the only time when I’m at peace.

When I finish one song, it’s pretty typical for me to just switch to another piece of sheet music and then move on to the next, but before I put both hands back on the keys, I hear a light knock at the door. Normally I wouldn’t answer it, but the fact that someone’s actually knocking-- most people would just barge in if it was an emergency, since they know how immersed I get in my piano playing-- makes me pause, for just a moment. It’s probably Rantaro, or else Gonta or his advisor, someone who doesn’t know my routine so well. I contemplate getting annoyed and yelling for them to go away, but that wouldn’t be very… princess-like.

And well, if it is Rantaro… if me and him are gonna be married, then I guess he should hear me play.

I begrudgingly lift my fingers from the keys and get to my feet, padding across the carpeted floor and then pulling the door open. I suppose I saw Rantaro at lunch today, briefly, but my head was admittedly still stuck in the piano music, so I didn’t really take him in all that much. He’s dressed nicely today, though, in a dark blue blouse (rolled up to his elbows) and matching trousers. Sayaka always chooses my outfits for piano days, since I can’t be bothered and she doesn’t seem to mind, and I think that Rantaro’s attire compliments the dark violet dress and hair ribbon that Sayaka selected for me pretty well.

Ugh, though. Every minute I spend here looking at him is another minute of piano playing lost.

“Hey,” Rantaro says, as he says every time. He smiles at me, and it’s a very charming smile, customary of Rantaro. “Hope I’m not interrupting.”

I nudge the door so that it opens wider, and gesture at the ottoman by the window as I move back towards the piano. “Close the door behind you and sit down,” I tell him, moving swiftly back over to the piano. If Rantaro finds this questionable, he doesn’t say anything; I hear the click of the door closing behind him and know that my instructions are being heeded. “There’s lemonade on the table over there, and biscuits. You can help yourself.” I tuck my skirt under myself and sit down on the bench. “You can talk, too, but I probably won’t hear you.”

“Right,” Rantaro’s smile sneaks into his voice. “So no talking, then.”

I smile, too, despite myself, straightening out my sheet music and putting my hands into position. I’d respond, but I don’t really know what to say, and normally I’d feel awkward about it, but in front of a piano, it’s hard to feel for anything but the music, so instead, I dive right back into it, and let the tune wash over me again.

Playing the piano with someone else in the room is… different. It’s not a bad kind of different, not really. But it’s a different feeling. Maybe this is just my imagination, but it’s almost as though I can feel Rantaro’s presence behind me, even as I’m swept away by the music. His presence is mild, though, and comfortable. The kind of person who you could sit with in silence for hours without feeling stiff, or pressured to keep a conversation going. I can almost sense his emotions, too, resonating with the music, with my own. Between songs, I sneak a couple glances back at him, but he doesn’t move at all, not even once. He just sits there with his eyes closed, absorbing the music.

And that’s just fine with me, really. I keep on playing, song after song, humming along with some of the more familiar ones and making my way carefully through a few that I’ve only played once or twice before. The time seems to stretch on and on, the only gaps being for me to switch between pieces of sheet music, and I play until I feel a little bit tired, just a little bit sleepy, but even then, I’m not… quite done.

I pull out one of the easier pieces, a duet, and set it down on the piano, stretching out my fingers. I don’t usually play duets, out a lack of people to play them  _ with,  _ but right now, since Rantaro is still here, despite everything…

“Rantaro,” I look over my shoulder, seek out the Prince with my eyes. “Come over here.”

Rantaro doesn’t question the instruction. He rises dutifully to his feet and makes his way over, and when I shuffle over on the bench, he seats himself down next to me. His sleeve, when it brushes my arm, is soft.

“Do you play any piano?” I ask, idly tapping my fingers on the keys, not hard enough to actually make a sound, just, a fidget. Something to do with my hands.

“I think I could tap out a pretty good  _ Hot Cross Buns,”  _ Rantaro replies, his lips quirking in a grin. “But nothing like the music you just serenaded me with the past couple hours.”

I smile, both in response to the  _ Hot Cross Buns  _ remark, and also at the fact that Rantaro sat there for hours, just listening to me play. “Do you want to learn? There aren’t a lot of people around here who play the piano at all. I suppose I could ask my parents to find someone for me to play the piano with, but that sort of feels like hiring a friend, y’know?”

“Maybe just a little,” Rantaro chuckles. He looks at me softly, his brows tilted. “I think I’d really like that, Kaede. If you’re willing to teach me. I might be a bit of a slow learner.”

“That’s okay,” I say. I reach out for his hands, and he gives them to me. They’re a lot larger than mine, and soft. Comfortable to hold, but… if I was to lace our fingers together, I don’t think they’d fit properly. Not in that way. “We’ve got plenty of time, even after our six-month trial period is over.”

Rantaro’s lip quirks with amusement. “You’re right,” he squeezes my hands. “A whole lifetime, actually.”

That doesn’t make me sad, per se; actually, the idea of spending the rest of my life with Rantaro isn’t a bad one. There’s just… something weird about sitting here, Rantaro’s hands in mine, being engaged, supposed to be falling in love… and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Thus far, Rantaro has been everything I’d ever look for in a husband, and yet… I dismiss the thoughts. It’s piano time. I carefully place Rantaro’s fingers on the keys, then rest my hands over his. “That’s right!” I chirp, brightly. “So if you’re really bad, you’ll have a bunch of time to get better!”

That gets a full laugh out of Rantaro, his eyes closing for a moment, and when he opens them, they’re sparkling with mirth. I smile, too. It’s nice making people laugh, I think. It makes me happy. This makes me happy, in a way, having someone to teach this stuff to, to spend time with like this. I think I feel comfortable around Rantaro, despite only having known him for a week.

There’s just… hmmm. I don’t know what it is yet. I guess I’ll figure it out.

\---

I select a pale pink bonnet from the selection that Sayaka laid out in front of me, and peer in the mirror at myself as I carefully secure the ribbon under my chin. I wouldn’t usually spring for one-- I really don’t like the way my hair looks when I wear hats and similar head wear-- but it’s just so bright outside, and Rantaro and I have plans to walk through the gardens today, I have to take precautions. To be honest, I’m a bit worried about how many layers there are on the matching pink dress I selected. It’s such a hassle wearing all this clothing and  _ all the time,  _ but Sayaka insisted that since I’m going outside, I need to dress up.

“I know it’s annoying,” Sayaka had said, with a wry smile, her eyes crinkling at the edges, “but being seen by the public dressed informally is a total no-go.”

Which, in my opinion, isn’t actually the best way to lead a kingdom. Honestly, I think that people should be seeing me as a person, and like, that includes seeing me in simple, short dresses, but I also don’t see a lot of benefit in arguing with Sayaka over stuff like this. She knows way better than I do, and besides, this is real life, not one of those books I read all the time where all the princesses know how to do is go against their advisors and parents. I’m extremely lucky, and I have a large amount of responsibility, as it pertains to becoming a good ruler of the kingdom. Things like my attire are just a given, by now. Acting out won’t really do much other than make me look like a huge jerk.

I meet Rantaro out under the stairs at the very front of the castle, and he rests a hand on my lower back as we make our way down, his other hand ghosting over the railing. It’s sweet of him to support me like that; it gives me the ability to hitch up my skirts and watch my feet as I move down the stairs. Walking in high heels is child’s play, but these stairs are steep enough that even Sayaka has almost stumbled going down them once or twice. I don’t want to take my chances. And Rantaro’s hand on my back is stabilising, almost protective.

...It reminds me of Makoto, actually, the way he was always looking out for me, but that’s a weird thing to be thinking about my  _ literal fiance,  _ so I tuck the thought to the side for the moment, and thank Rantaro when we reach the bottom of the stairs. He shifts his hand to my shoulder and squeezes it, as a sort of nonverbal  _ you’re welcome,  _ and winks at me as he grabs the door.

Once we’re actually standing at the entrance to the garden, I let out a soft giggle, leaning over to whisper to him. “You know the guards at the doors will totally open them for us, right?”

“Are you gonna cheat me out of my opportunities to be a gentleman?” Rantaro frowns. “They’re few and far-between, you know. Most of the time when I grab the door for girls my age, they accuse me of flirting. The idea is kind of offensive.”

I grin at him. “Are you  _ not  _ flirting when you grab the door for me?”

Rantaro opens and closes his mouth, looking uncomfortable.

“Uhm, actually,” I avert my gaze, before he can gather his thoughts well enough to reply. “Don’t… answer that.”

It’s… weird. Somehow it’s weird. Rantaro’s posture as he stands beside me, it’s reassuring and protective and really everything I’m told to look for by those stories that I read so often, but it’s just… weird. And it’s not the protectiveness that’s weird either, because whenever  _ Tenko  _ positions herself in that way, it makes my heart do a hop, skip, and jump in my chest. The idea of being protected like that by Tenko makes me want to swoon. But with Rantaro it’s more like…

Ugh! I keep thinking about Makoto. That overcomplicates this relationship in  _ such  _ a weird way and I don’t even want to  _ think  _ about it. God. Okay. I need to change the subject. Rantaro and I step into the garden, and as he latches the gate behind us, I try to figure out potential topic changes.

He beats me to it, though. “So, I encountered Ouma Kokichi last night.”

“Oh!” The subject makes me perk up, actually, though I couldn’t tell you whether I’m excited or slightly nervous. Kokichi is a sweet guy, secretly, but he doesn’t take himself or anyone else very seriously, and it really shows in the way that he interacts with people. It’s a good quality in a jester. Less so in a friend.

(He’s not too shabby when it comes to the latter, either, though. Adjusting, at first, to the way the castle felt without Makoto in it two years ago was… weird. Nobody really seemed to understand. Kokichi didn’t either, but there was something in the way that he treated me that didn’t make me feel like I was being pitied. I sort of can’t articulate just how  _ important  _ that was to me.)   
  


“Where did you meet him? He’s kind of a cryptid, y’know?” I tap my cheek with my index finger as I speak, looking at Rantaro curiously. He lets out a laugh in response to my question, turning around and straightening up. He’s dressed in blues today, sky blues, presumably for the same purpose as my pale pinks, and the colour looks really nice on him.

“I sort of got that impression too,” Rantaro admits, grinning, and there’s an odd quality to his expression that I don’t know how to decipher. “But I met him, uh,” he rubs the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly, “sneaking around the castle.”

  
“As you do,” I say, because it seems like he’s waiting for me to get mad at him, and I really couldn’t be bothered. I get cooped up too sometimes, and the castle is huge. Perfect for sneaking around. Rantaro breathes out.

“As you do!” Rantaro echoes, sounding far more relieved than he should. Sheesh. “I think we were near the kitchens? The smell of food was extremely strong, and he was eating some bread that he probably nabbed right off a counter in there. It was still warm when he gave me some.”

I sputter a little. “He stole from the kitchens? If he’s that hungry, why doesn’t he just come to meals with the rest of us?” I huff, folding my arms across my chest, and watch as Rantaro starts laughing again. I’m tempted to lose the indignation, but there’s still another part I need to address, and if Rantaro is laughing now then he can keep doing that, I guess. “And you  _ accepted  _ the bread he gave you? Are you not eating enough, Rantaro? Do you need to be fed?”

“I’m eating plenty!” Rantaro protests, his voice slightly strained for laughter. “But if you met an attractive stranger while wandering the halls of a castle you’ve been staying in for three weeks, and he offered you bread, wouldn’t you accept some?”

An  _ attractive  _ stranger, huh? For some reason, the revelation that dawns on me as I process Rantaro’s words isn’t upsetting even in the slightest. I feel myself grinning. “I don’t think I can actually relate to that specifically, but continue, I’m dying to know what was so memorable about your encounter with Kokichi.”

“Every part of it was memorable!” Rantaro says, barely recovered, catching his breath and resting a hand on the gate to keep himself standing. “He made me guess his name and the only hint he gave me was horse.” That’s pretty in keeping with what I know about Kokichi after six years living together, so I really have nothing to say. “Which, in retrospect, is one of the kanjis if you write his name out, but I think my failing every guess was valid.”

“You’re valid,” I reaffirm, leaning myself against the gate and giving Rantaro a small smile. “I’m granting you validity rights.”

“Thank you,” he nods solemnly. “But it was a lot, Kaede. I wouldn’t go so far as to say he melted into the shadows when he left-- it was more like he ran off down the hall-- but he had such a light step, it was like I couldn’t even hear him leaving. And that corridor was dark, so there was a point where he was just… gone.”

“It sounds really romantic when you describe it like that,” I say, frowning, “but it gets less mysterious and handsome when you realise how much of a menace Kokichi is. We’re all secretly really fond of him, so he stays, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is the boy who switched my older brother’s pillow out for a bunch of water balloons inside of a pillow case and his inside his ceiling waiting for a reaction.” I sigh. That had been a day. Makoto is really patient, generally speaking, but boy, Kokichi tested him sometimes.

“I dunno,” Rantaro grins. “If anything I think a quality sense of humour like that makes him even  _ more  _ appealing.” And to Rantaro’s credit,  _ this time,  _ he seems to realise what he’s saying, and what I’m saying, and most importantly who he’s saying it too. His expression sobers a touch. “Uh, huh. Okay. Hm.”

For my credit, I manage to reign in my smile, if only because Rantaro looks pretty uncomfortable now. The corner of my mouth twitches a little bit, though. “Is there something you wanna tell me, Rantaro?”

“Well, there,” Rantaro huffs out a breath, and furrows his brow, rubbing the back of his neck. He looks slightly sheepish. “I mean, yeah, there is-- was, I guess, but this definitely wasn’t how I wanted to say it at all.” He sighs, raking his hand through his hair. I feel my chest tightening a little bit. He’s pretty stressed about this, huh. “You can probably guess, though, huh?”

“If it means anything,” I reach out for his hand, gesturing over towards one of the benches, this one being in the shade under a patch of grape vines, and he takes it, giving me a weak little smile, “I really don’t care.”

“You don’t, huh?” Rantaro follows me over to the bench, and waits for me to sit before doing the same. He squeezes my hand, and I hold fast to his when I return the gesture. “We’ve spent a lot of time together the past few weeks, and I’ve really been enjoying all of it, but I don’t…”

“You haven’t been leading me on if that’s what you’re worried about,” I tell him, straight up, pursing my lips. He blinks at me. “I’m reading this right, right? You’re worried about me being upset because we’re betrothed and stuff?” ...Maybe I should be more direct about what I might possibly potentially in Rantaro’s head be upset  _ about.  _ “And this is you telling me you’re gay, right? Not you rejecting me because of my personality? Because I’ve never been rejected before and you might hurt my feelings if that’s the case.” I pout.

Rantaro looks at me for a moment, and then starts laughing, and maybe it’s a bit of an anxious laugh, but it’s still  _ genuine,  _ and thank god for that. I really don’t want him stressing out over this stuff when I’ve been thinking something similar! Even if it’s not… necessarily to do with being gay. (I think.) “You have a wonderful personality, Kaede,” he says, between giggles, “and I’m sure you’re going to make some lovely gender non-specific person really happy someday, even if it’s undercover while married to me.” He clears his throat, straightening up again. “Yeah, I’m gay.” He smiles sheepishly. “I guess that wouldn’t be a problem over here if we weren’t engaged, would it?”

“Not really, no,” I say, shaking my head. “Gay marriage was legalised a while ago, and I’m sure you’ve heard about Makoto going off to marry King Togami.” Rantaro pulls a face at the name  _ Togami,  _ just for a moment, but then settles, nodding. “Would it be a problem for you back home?”

“Eh,” Rantaro shrugs. “Not really? Only in terms of my inability to produce an heir, but now that I’m not even taking over the throne over there, that doesn’t matter.” He reaches up to rub the back of his neck with the hand that isn’t holding one of mine, smiling a little bit. “Or, well, it won’t matter for me over there. We’ll probably be expected to have a kid, huh?”

“Maybe,” I admit, shrugging. “Makoto and I have  _ do  _ a younger sister, y’know? Komaru?” Rantaro hums in acknowledgement. Komaru is technically my fraternal twin, but since she’s the younger twin, I feel okay calling her my younger sister. “She’s not in line for the throne or anything, but she might produce an heir. We don’t really need to worry about that right now, though.” I clear my throat. “What’s more important is, uhm, do you still want to marry me?”

Rantaro tilts his head to the side. “Are there other options?”

“I mean--” no, no, not really, “--we could talk about it? I think that you should be happy, y’know? Even if I sort of like having you around.” I smile, and Rantaro smiles back at me, squeezing my hand.

“I sorta like being here,” he says, in something of a lower voice. “And I think that alliance between our kingdoms is gonna be pretty important. Especially when it comes to me ‘n you hanging out.” He’s got a point, even if it makes me a little bit sad that Rantaro isn’t going to be getting married to someone he actually has feelings for. (Of course… I won’t either, I guess, but… hm.) “I don’t want to keep you from being involved with other people, of course, so if you’d rather not waste your time marrying someone who can’t like you back--”

“Okay, slow down for a second,” I give Rantaro a wry smile. “Let’s just make really clear right now. I was comparing you to my brother in my head about five minutes ago. I definitely don’t have any feelings for you, reciprocated or otherwise.” I giggle a little. “You’re really sweet, though, I mean it.”

Rantaro buffers for a moment, and then smiles, looking slightly embarrassed. “Oops,” he says, tossing his head a little. “Sorry for assuming,” he chuckles, then adds, “I’m glad, though. I felt bad because I came into this knowing I’m gay and I’ve really been enjoying the time we’ve spent together, so it’s…”

“I’ve been enjoying it too,” I tell him, firmly, squeezing his hand. “We can talk more as the wedding date gets closer. For now, are you gonna keep telling me about your crush on Kokichi?”

And at that, Rantaro’s cheeks redden just a touch, and I find myself giggling, but I’m relieved, really relieved, that we talked about it.

\---

Three months after Rantaro, his advisor, and his guard come to stay at the castle, Rantaro spends the night in my room.

He’s totally not supposed to. Premarital sex is a  _ big  _ no-no, and even though Rantaro’s gay (and I might also be gay? It’s complicated, girls are pretty, I don’t know) there’s only really one conclusion people around here come to when a man and a woman share a bed. Geez. I really don’t like thinking that people are thinking that stuff about me. But it’s okay, because even though Rantaro and I talk about it for a bit, we don’t tell anyone at all.

I don’t even tell Sayaka, which is a little weird, because I tell her everything, but I kind of feel like she wouldn’t be too big on the whole  _ premarital bed sharing  _ thing. I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong on that. I kind of just don’t want to risk it, y’know? Usually I’m pretty okay with just, behaving the way that I want to, but when it comes to Sayaka, I just really don’t want to disappoint her. She’s someone who I trust and rely on a lot, and she’s helped me through a lot! So… yeah.

Really, if I’m trying not to disappoint Sayaka, the best call is just not to do any of this bed sharing stuff int he first place. But Rantaro’s been telling me a lot about his sisters over the past three months we’ve been spending together, and he mentioned that he isn't really used to sleeping alone, which was a weird thing to hear at first until he explained that usually he sleeps with his youngest sister, Princess Kikuko, tucked into his arms.

“She has pretty bad night terrors,” Rantaro had been saying, as he pushed a folded paper boat away from him on the small creek in the garden. “She couldn’t sleep most nights without me there to hold her. I…” he chuckled a little, a self deprecating little sound, his brow furrowing. “I don’t know how she’s doing now. I wanted to take her here with me, but my father wanted to see if she could adjust to the six months without me around before doing anything like that. He thought it would get in the way of our,” he gestured, “y’know.”

I rested a hand on his back, rubbing softly. “I’m sorry, you must be really worried about her, huh?”

“All the time,” Rantaro admitted. “What was more surprising though is how much I struggle to sleep when I’m by myself, haha.”

Hence the sleepover. Honestly, up until Rantaro is actually lying next to me on the bed, I have no idea how this is going to go. Not that I think anything bad is going to happen, but I’ve never slept in a bed with anyone other than Tenko before, and even then, with the Tenko thing? That was an accident, and after it was over, she sprung out of the sheets, her face turning bright red, and sputtered apologies.

(It was really cute how flustered she was about it all, even if I felt kind of bad that she was panicking so hard. Really, she didn’t have to react like that around me! We’ve known each other our whole lives, and I feel safer when Tenko is around! I wouldn’t mind her sleeping in my bed all the time, if she wanted to! But… y’know, I get why. Even if it made me sad.)

Turns out, it’s… not really much different from spending time with Rantaro normally. He’s wearing a white night shirt and loose brown trousers as when he sneaks through my door, and I’m in a pale pink night gown (one of my favourites, since the material is so soft), and my hair is down and there’s nobody here to see us talking, not even in passing, but aside from that, things are… pretty regular. Rantaro slips under the covers and I join him, and we look up at the ceiling in quiet for a while. He puts an arm around my shoulders, so I snuggle up against him. He’s warm, and the embrace is comforting. I feel safe with him here, which is weird for a person I’ve known for three months. But our circumstances aren’t really like the circumstances I read about in storybooks.

After a while, I get kind of tired of the silence, so I turn my head to face Rantaro better, shuffling a little bit in his embrace. I watch his eyes slide over to me, and when we’re making eye contact, I say, “Hey, Rantaro?”

“Yeah?” Rantaro raises his eyebrows, just a bit; a mild quirk. I can tell he’s listening to me by the way his eyes look. I’ve gotten better at identifying those things about him over the past three months.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure you can,” Rantaro shuffles a little bit too, but settles down fairly easily. “You’ve asked me plenty in the time we’ve known each other. What’s on your mind?”

“Do you have…” I’m not really sure how to word this. “Do you have any dreams? Things you want to do, places you want to go? Like, is being the King of my kingdom something you really want with your life?”

Rantaro opens his mouth almost immediately after hearing my question, like he has an answer prepared already, but then he closes it, his brows knitting together a touch, like the question gives him pause. His gaze leaves my face, and turns up to the ceiling instead. I like to keep my curtains just slightly drawn at night, because I like looking out at the stars when I can’t sleep, and I like the way the moonlight looks in a stripe down the middle of my room, and the way Rantaro is positioned right now, there’s silver light illuminating his green eyes, turning them almost silver. He looks… thoughtful, actually, but a bit sad, a bit disappointed.

And even before Rantaro says anything, I know that the answer is yes. I know he has dreams and aspirations, places he wants to go, people he wants to meet, that extend beyond this castle; beyond this kingdom, really. And of course I don’t get any say in it, but… I sort of feel bad, anyway, to be one of the things keeping him from that.

“I do,” Rantaro says finally, letting out a breath. He doesn’t look at me, he just keeps on gazing up at the ceiling, like it’ll hold the secrets to the universe, or something. “I want to travel the world. That used to be my plan, back when I was a kid, before I understood what my being the Prince actually meant.” He chuckles, but it’s a bit of a sarcastic sound, I think. A bitter sound. I don’t like hearing Rantaro sound that way. “I want to see the world, you know? Meet all the different people and experience all the different places. I don’t read as much as you probably do, but I’ve read stories about travelers, about…  _ adventurers,  _ and I’d really like that for myself, I think. I want to climb a mountain, or something. Sail the ocean. Find places where there aren’t any kings and queens and princes and princesses and just… live. More than I’m living now.”

_ If you’re living now at all,  _ I think, but don’t say. Why would I say that to him? He knows, I’m sure, he doesn’t need to hear that from me. I slip my own arms around him, squeezing a little bit. “I’m sorry you don’t get that right now,” I tell him, looking up at the ceiling too, because if it has any answers for him, maybe there will be some for me, too. “Maybe someday you will.”

“Maybe,” says Rantaro. It doesn’t really sound like he believes it, though. “What about you? Got any dreams, Kaede?”

And that’s… a good question.

I think about adventure, a lot, and romance. I think about what Rantaro just described, seeing the world and the people in it, living all the experiences that I see in those storybooks I like. I think about being someone else, someone who’s strong and brave and witty, quick on her feet, someone who helps other people, who saves them. And there’s an appeal to it, I think, an appeal to being a hero, to going out on my own and living hard and fast, and falling in love somewhere out there with someone who’s rugged and strong but softhearted.

But… when I think about what I  _ really  _ want for myself, it all involves playing the piano, and learning from Sayaka, and exploring my own home and hearing Kokichi’s jokes and being kept safe by Tenko. It involves everything that I’ve ever known, and maybe more than that, if not on the scale that Rantaro is talking about. I think I’d like to do what Makoto used to, and go down to the village and talk to all the so-called peasants, hear their stories and learn their dreams, learn from  _ them  _ directly how to be a perfect leader. I want to love my subjects because I know the kind of people they are, not out of obligation.

I’m okay being a princess, being a  _ queen,  _ even, so long as I do it well. That’s what matters to me.

“My only real dream,” I say, quietly, looking back down at Rantaro again, “is to be the best Queen I can possibly be, and to take care of my people, and let them know that they matter, and that they’re not alone, and that I’m gonna do everything I can so that they can live amazing, comfortable lives.”

At that, Rantaro smiles at me, and the arm around my shoulders does a gentle squeeze. His eyes are warm, and fond. It’s a look I’ve seen on Makoto before, right down to the utter lack of anything patronising in it. “Well, I think you’re well on your way to making that dream come true, then,” he tells me. “Without a doubt.”

\---

One month before Rantaro and I are to be married, Kokichi finally shows up to dinner with the rest of us.

Meals with Kokichi are  _ chaotic,  _ and I mean that in the best way possible. I think Tenko stands up to eject him a total of three times, and that’s with me there to talk her down. Honestly, I’ve kind of missed having Kokichi here in the dining hall with us, and Rantaro seems absolutely  _ ecstatic,  _ if the bright, amused looks he keeps giving the jester are to be any indication. He’s so transparently infatuated with Kokichi, it’s a real surprise to me that my parents don’t notice and call the whole engagement off right here. I guess being engaged to me kind of acts like a safe guard in that respect.

I think Sayaka notices, because she notices most things-- she’s got a  _ crazy  _ good intuition!-- but if she does, she doesn’t say anything. She does wink at me at one point during the meal, though, and the fact that I was already giggling over Kokichi dumping an unreasonable amount of salt on the third course really doesn’t help anything, me-laughing-wise.

When the meal is over, Kokichi latches onto Rantaro’s arm like some kind of gremlin, dragging him out of the hall. “I have something  _ super  _ duper important that I need to show you and it requires your  _ immediate  _ attention,” Kokichi is saying, his lower lip jutted out as he tugs on Rantaro’s arm. (Not that Rantaro is resisting all that much.) “C’mon, c’mon, the library’s so far, y’know? It’ll take us such a long time to get there!”

“Yeah, sure, okay,” Rantaro chuckles, and his eyes find me, across the hall as he is by now, a wry smile making its way onto his face. “I’ll see you tonight, Kaede,” he calls, cupping his mouth with a hand, and I giggle, waving him off. I literally do not care.

“Have fun,” I return, shaking my head a little bit and turning around to head back to my bed chambers. I might as well spend some time in there, anyway. There’s a book I’ve been meaning to get back to recently, and I think I can finish it before Rantaro gets back from indulging Kokichi’s shenanigans.

Tenko falls into step beside me, and we exit the dining hall together, mounting the steps to my bed chambers. Tenko walks just a bit faster than I do, probably in the name of leading me, which is really sweet. She’s got a lot of energy, even going up the stairs. Though, I can’t help noticing that Tenko looks a little bit stressed right now; her expression is tight and she keeps looking back at the dining hall like there’s something she wants to say.

“Did you forget something, Tenko?” I ask, as we reach the next flight of stairs. “We can turn back, or I can wait here while you go get it.”

“Oh! No!” Tenko shakes her head, fervently. “Tenko  _ definitely  _ shouldn’t leave Princess Kaede alone! And it’s fine, anyway, she didn’t forget anything!” She rests a hand on my elbow as I turn, and I smile at her in thanks. Tenko is so sweet and polite. It’s nice how much she looks after me. “She’s more… uhm, Tenko doesn’t want to make any assumptions about anybody, she’s just wondering about that…  _ boy,  _ that Princess Kaede is going to be marrying.”

I hum. “Rantaro?”

“Right,” Tenko says, her nose wrinkling. I giggle. Tenko’s man-hatred transcends rank. “It’s just… he kept looking all gooey at that absolute menace the Queen keeps around for some reason, and Tenko hopes he isn’t gonna hurt Princess Kaede with his boy stuff, because--”

“Tenko, it’s okay,” I cut her off, and feel a bit bad about it, but I sort of want to nip this one in the bud. Though, I’ll admit it’s surprisingly sharp of her to have picked up on that stuff. I didn’t even realise Tenko knew anything about that. It’s… also really sweet, again, how much she’s looking out for me. It’s like she’s my guard in more ways than one. I really want to repay the favour sometime. Tenko is too cute and sweet  _ not  _ to be protected once in a while, y’know? “If I tell you this, can you keep it a secret?”

“Tell Tenko what?” Tenko frowns, tilting her head a bit. “Is something sketchy happening with that boy? Tenko can dispatch him! She’ll do whatever Princess Kaede asks her to, even if it--”

“It’s okay,” I repeat, laughing. We reach the top of the stairs, and I rest a hand on Tenko’s arm, squeezing her through the chainmail armour she’s wearing. She seems to calm down at the action, though her cheeks do redden a bit, which is super cute. “But really, can you keep this a secret?”

“Of course!” Tenko nods, at once. “Tenko will keep anything a secret for the Princess!”

“Thanks,” I say, grinning. I check over my shoulder a few times, just to make sure there’s nobody in the corridor who could overhear us, and then look back at Tenko. “I really don’t like Rantaro like that, like at all. I think he’s more like a brother, actually.” Tenko seems to relax. I contemplate adding,  _ he’s gay, anyway,  _ but I don’t want to out him, even if it is to Tenko, who I would trust with my life and then some. That’s not my secret to tell. “He feels the same, y’know? It’s really more like… a totally platonic thing, between us.”

“But Princess Kaede is still gonna marry him?” Tenko asks, sounding confused.

“Well, yeah,” I shrug, “for the kingdom, y’know? For the alliance. But if I fall in love with someone, I’ll just be with them secretly.” I smile. “Me and Rantaro getting married is more like a formality.”

“Oh,” Tenko blinks, then smiles. “Well, okay! If Princess Kaede is happy with it, then Tenko will support! Erm, the Princess  _ is  _ happy, right? Tenko doesn’t need to throw him?”

“No throwing wil be necessary,” I assure her, gesturing towards my bed chambers. The two of us start walking. “Everything is good.”

“Then, that’s good!” Tenko nods. “Tenko is glad!”

\---

And everything  _ was  _ good, but then night falls, and Rantaro still hasn’t returned to my room.

For a while, I’m thinking that maybe he was delayed-- maybe he spent more time with Kokichi than I thought he would-- but minutes turn into hours and he still doesn’t show up, and I’m starting to get nervous about it, to the point where I really can’t sleep, even if I wanted to. So I find a thin turquoise robe and pull it on, slipping over to my desk and lighting a candle. It takes me a few attempts to do, because I don’t do a lot by candlelight, but eventually a dim orange light sweeps through the room, and I release a breath into my hand. Okay. My heart is pounding really hard, for some reason.

Tenko is waiting outside of my room when I slip out the door, but it seems like she dozed off. I don’t want her to wake up and realise that I’m not there, but at the same time, I’d feel bad waking her up, so I do my best to just pad by her silently, holding the candle holder in both of my hands.

I make my way down the hall to Rantaro’s bed chambers. Maybe he was tired from the encounter and wanted to sleep in the bed they gave to him. A little weird, since we’ve been sleeping together every night for the past two months, but I’m not going to judge. Maybe he even has Kokichi in his bed right now. In which case, I’ll totally be intruding, and like,  _ oops,  _ but I just need to know. I’m sure everything is fine, I just want to know what specifically it is that I shouldn’t be worrying about. For the sake of it. Out of curiosity, y’know.

When I knock on Rantaro’s door, I receive no answer. There aren’t even any guards stationed outside, either, which makes me a bit anxious, but I tell myself it’s fine and grasp the doorknob, pushing the door open and holding out the candle as I peer inside.

There’s… nobody in there. Rantaro’s sheets are made, undisturbed. I don’t think he’s been here since this morning, when he returned to his bed chambers to be dressed. My stomach flips a little, but I dismiss the feeling. Maybe he’s on his way back from the rendezvous with Kokichi, or maybe he’s still in the library! It doesn’t bother me what the specifics are. There’s probably some really funny explanation for why he isn’t here right now. I should go sleep.

…

I close the door to Rantaro’s room and take off down the stairs, bracing myself on the handrailing since Rantaro and Tenko aren’t with me right now to keep me steady. My socks are especially slippery on the steps, even if I’m not wearing a long skirt, and I’m holding a candle in my hand, so… I move quickly, but carefully, my eyes hardly lifting from the stairs.

When I reach the bottom floor, I walk quickly down the hall, watching shadows dance in the flickering light of my candle. It’s eerie, honestly. Makes me thinks of ghosts lurking about. (My friend Kaito would be so freaked out by that. I’m glad he’s not here right now, and not, like, telepathic, so he can’t see or hear any of this.) I almost miss the library, distracted as I am by the spookiness of the candlelight, but I double back the second I’ve passed it and walk quickly up to the door.

I consider knocking, for just a moment, but no, it’s a library. I’m going in without knocking.

When I open the door, I notice that the chandelier on the ceiling is still lit, so I blow out my candle and set the candle holder down on the table by the door. I can’t hear anybody speaking, which is odd, because this room bears every indication of being occupied. Maybe Kokichi and Rantaro fell asleep, doing whatever it was they’re doing? I smile a little bit at the thought. They’re sweet, I think. I’d like to talk to Kokichi about how he feels about Rantaro. He’s so dodgy, but maybe that topic of conversation would get something genuine out of him. The way he looked at Rantaro all through dinner told me he feels pretty strongly about my betrothed.

I can’t see anything from the door, so I move to look between the shelves to my right, checking every nook and cranny in this place. It’s hard, because there are so many shelves, so many books, but I know the library well. It’s not that little room I like with all the storybooks-- there are  _ so many  _ other books in here-- but I still spend a decent amount of time here, just, breathing in the book scent, dreaming, whatever you’d like. It’s peaceful.

I don’t find anything over here, though, so I turn around and start moving in the other direction, checking through the shelves on my right side, the one opposite the door.

My left foot sinks into the carpet, and my feet are bare, so I register the feeling of something warm under my heel. Something… wet.

…

Then the smell of iron hits my nose, strong and full and  _ overwhelming,  _ and I gag, feeling heat rush to my eyes, whirling around, looking wildly to my left. When I see what’s over there, my brain stops, it just stops working, because there’s no way for me to process what I’m looking at, it doesn’t make any sense, there’s no way,  _ there’s just no way. _

There’s no way for me to process the body of Prince Amami Rantaro, my fiance of five months, lying dead in a pool of his own blood.

A scream escapes me, and my vision, my consciousness… they’re soon to follow.

**Author's Note:**

> HAHA sorryyyy i should've tagged major character death but HNGG spoilers
> 
> anyway the main story for this au is going to be a murder mystery. that's how maki and shuichi come in. rantaro i'm so sorry a dumb bitch like me would do this to you
> 
> uhm, i'm aware that everyone speaks pretty informally here, i just literally could not be bothered. like. i do not care. there is a whole lot more going on with this au than what you see in this fic (hence it being a prequel) but i just wanna. see what y'all think :)
> 
> for the record, the main pairings of the fic itself will be tenkaemaki, and to a slightly lesser degree, saiouma. so :D
> 
> let me know if you wanna see more royalty au content haha i've had this au for over a year and a half and now i am finally..... writing it


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